The present invention relates to goods-handling doors and other articulated panels for industrial buildings, hangars, or the like, which doors are of the type having a raisable curtain constituted by a curtain that is flexible or hinged, and usually reinforced by horizontal reinforcing bars disposed at regular intervals. The curtain may be wound up to the top of the door, or folded concertina-like by means of lifting straps fixed to its bottom bar, which straps are wound onto a shaft disposed above the curtain. The edges of the curtain and/or the ends of the reinforcing bars may be guided by moving in slideways formed in or by lateral uprights which generally support a top horizontal cross-member which supports drive means, and in particular the shaft for winding up the lifting straps or the curtain itself.
In order to enable the curtain to be raised and lowered easily without excessive friction or risk of curtain jamming, the slideways need to be rather wide. However, when the door is closed (curtain down), the curtain may flap between the edges of the slideways, thereby making noise and possibly also damaging the curtain.
Systems have been devised for pressing the curtain against one of the edges of each slideway, such as the system described in French patent No. 2 548 257, for example. The curtain is ballasted by a bottom bar and when this bar reaches the bottom it actuates a device by mechanical means or by means of a relay, thereby causing the curtain to be pressed against one of the edges of each slideway. These systems prevent the curtain from flapping but they are fragile and they may jam the curtain in its closed position.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device which is simple, cheap, effective, and reliable.